Empirical relationship for drilling rate in hard rock underground mines

• Published in: IOP conference series. Earth and environmental science Vol. 833; no. 1; pp. 12135 - 12140
• Main Authors: Adoko, A C, Moesi, D, Sharipov, A S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bristol IOP Publishing 01.08.2021
• Subjects: Compressive strength; Data mining; Drilling; Drilling machines (tools); Drilling rate; Empirical equations; Parameters; Regression models; Rock masses; Rocks; Underground mines
• ISSN: 1755-1307; 1755-1315
• DOI: 10.1088/1755-1315/833/1/012135

Abstract A reliable estimate of the drilling rate is essential in a successful drill and blast planning and mine production. Owing to this importance, numerous empirical equations of the drilling rate using the rock mass properties and the machine parameters have been proposed. However, these existing equations cannot be used in all site conditions. Hence, this paper aims to develop an empirical model for drilling rate estimation in hard rock mining. The data used for this study were collected from an underground mine located in Selibi-Phikwe, Botswana and included in-situ drilling rate, drilling machine specification and rock mass properties. Nonlinear regression model was used to derive the drill rate model. The result indicates high correlation between the estimated and the actual drill rates. In addition, it was found that the uniaxial compressive strength of the rock, the angle between the rock mass discontinuity planes and the drilling direction are the parameters impacting the drill rate the most. Also, the presence of quartz in the rock indicated good predictability of the drill rates.